Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages one to four.

Young children drown quickly and silently in as little as one inch of water. For every child who drowns, five more need emergency medical care for injuries that can result in life changing brain damage. The good news is that drowning tragedies can be prevented by constantly supervising children at all times when they are near water.

For more water safety tips, including a coloring book you can share with your kids, click here.

DCFS has the primary responsibility of protecting children through the investigation of suspected abuse or neglect by parents and other caregivers in a position of trust or authority over the child.

Call the 24-hour Child Abuse Hotline at 800-25-ABUSE (800-252-2873 or TTY 1-800-358-5117) if you suspect that a child has been harmed or is at risk of being harmed by abuse or neglect. If you believe a child is in immediate danger of harm, call 911 first. Your confidential call will not only make sure the child is safe, but also help provide the child’s family the services they need to provide a safe, loving and nurturing home.

​Children are the embodiment of innocence and hope for the future. We all agree that every child deserves to grow up in a nurturing environment where they are loved, cared for, secure, and protected from verbal, sexual, emotional and physical abuse, exploitation, and neglect. Both child abuse and child neglect cause serious harm to child development and have lifelong effects that reduce well-being and productivity and create greater demands on society.

​Agencies and organizations that seek to do business with DCFS can now open a new road map to navigate the procurement process. DCFS has launched the tailored and targeted on-line training, Doing Business with DCFS, which includes a comprehensive how-to guide and a useful resource directory for technical assistance.

​Summer is a difficult time for hungry children in Illinois. When school is out, children enrolled in the free or reduced price meal program lose two meals per day. To help bridge the gap, the Summer Food Service Program provides free meals all summer long to kids 18 and under – at no cost to families. Find a summer meals site near you to receive a healthy and nutritious meal.